The dominant duo of Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina had a good start to their doubles partnership at the ongoing Citi Open in Washington. Following her impressive opening-round win at the WTA 500 event, the former US Open champion couldn’t contain her excitement over the thrilling match, responding with a two-word reaction to a celebratory post.
Emma Raducanu Pumps Excitement Following Citi Open 1R Doubles Win
Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina kicked off their doubles partnership with a thrilling win over fourth seeds Tereza MihalÃková and Olivia Nicholls 2-6, 7-6(4) [11-9]. Their debut wasn’t short on drama, as they came dangerously close to letting the match slip away after failing to convert four consecutive match points.
The duo had a shaky start, as they dropped the first set. However, they eventually managed to bounce back in the second, twice going up a break. Although MihalÃková and Nicholls fought back both times, Raducanu and Rybakina dug deep to take the next three points, grabbing the second set and pushing the match into a deciding super tie-break and eventually securing the win.
After the victory, Citi Open’s official Instagram account dropped glimpses of their dominant showdown. This included Raducanu shaking hands with her doubles partner Rybakina after hitting a point and them sharing an embrace following the win.
“E² gets it done in a thriller 🤩,” the post caption said.
View this post on Instagram
Emma Raducanu couldn’t hide her excitement and therefore stepped forward to drop a confident remark in the comments section.
“Let’s go!!” she wrote.
Just hours after the tiring match, Raducanu has another challenge lined up as she faces Marta Kostyuk in a singles showdown on Wednesday. Rybakina, on the other hand, will face Victoria Mboko.
Emma Raducanu Expresses Desire to Be More Consistent in Doubles Competition
After making a surprise appearance alongside Katie Boulter at the Queen’s Club Championship, Emma Raducanu had a new feeling to try her hand at doubles competitions. Following the opening round win at Queen’s alongside Boulter, the WTA star discussed technicalities while mentioning how she looks to excel in this side of the game.
“I think the time I spent on the doubles court for sure helped me for my first round here, and I think it can improve my volley skills. Today I picked off a few great volleys, I wasn’t really thinking, but it happened, like, naturally, and it was instinctive, and that could have maybe been a part of playing some dubs,” she said.
Being new to this side, Raducanu currently holds a career win-loss record of 1 win and two losses. Her partner, Rybakina, on the other hand, is relatively more experienced and therefore holds a 52-49 career record in doubles.
